Two Shots for the Ages

I’m a few days late on this one; I guess I’m still trying to process what happened.

If you are a basketball fan, particularly a Toronto Raptors fan, you had to love the ending to Sunday night’s Game 7 match between the Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers.

If you’re a Sixers fan, it was a cruel way to have the season end.

You may have watched the game, or watched a video of the last play of the game.

And while the video is great, and that’s coming from a Sixers fan, this photo is even better:

MARK BLINCH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The picture has everything. It’s got the shot clock at 0.0; it’s got the ball suspended above the rim; it’s got Embiid and Simmons of the Sixers watching hopefully and helplessly; it’s got the shooter, the Raptor’s Kawhi Leonard, squatting out of bounds. The entire Raptor’s team is staring and waiting, as are thousands of fans.

The picture suggests that a hush fell over the crowd while everyone waits to see what the ball will do, the proverbial calm before the storm.

Once the ball makes its decision, there is complete chaos, as this video shows: